Pittsburg natives pen book for youth baseball players

Pittsburg natives Todd Biggs and Don Gutteridge have decided to give back to youth baseball in Pittsburg.

Matthew Clark

Pittsburg natives Todd Biggs and Don Gutteridge have decided to give back to youth baseball in Pittsburg.

Together, the pair have penned the book titled “Getting Started In Baseball,” a book that shows the fundamentals of baseball.

“Last winter, Don and I were talking about what we could do for the kids, and we came up with the idea of putting down a book of ideas from Don that is an instructional how-to,” Biggs said. “Basically, it will give kids the confidence that they need to play baseball.”

Gutteridge said that lending his Major League Baseball experience -- which spanned three decades as a player and manager -- was an easy decision.

“If these kids are going to be taught something, they need to be taught correctly,” Gutteridge said. “That is what I wanted to do.”

Biggs said that the inspiration for the book came, not only from Gutteridge’s experiences but his own as a Little League baseball player.

“I can honestly remember the days when I was at Little League baseball practice at Ted Carnino baseball field sitting on a nice, green outfield and have Don Gutteridge stop by out of the blue and he would work with ballplayers,” Biggs said. “He would teach us throwing, sliding, catching and everything.

“That experience is what we are trying to put in print.”

The book covers topics from hitting, catching and throwing to fielding groundballs, baserunning and hitting strategies.

“I think that everyone will get something from it,” Gutteridge said. “There is picture demonstrations and it is just a great book.”

Biggs and Gutteridge said that Miller’s Professional Imaging has donated enough so that every player in Pittsburg’s JL Hutchinson League will receive a copy of the book once it is printed.

“We want to help develop as much talent as possible around the community and we want to do something for the Hutch League and for all the kids in Pittsburg and beyond,” Biggs said. “We want to tell them how to do something and that they can do it.”

Gutteridge added that the final product will help players of all ages learn the fundamentals of the game of baseball.

“I think that the final thing is great,” Gutteridge said. “We wanted to put these lessons into something simple that the kids could understand because sometimes kids can read a book and the book can go over their heads, but this does not go over their heads and the kids can understand everything that is in there.”

The book also includes memorable quotes from Gutteridge as well as inspirational words in each lesson.

“As you read the book, it is not rigid in its teaching,” Biggs said. “Don stresses many many times over, that you don’t want to coach the instinct out of the kids and, yes there are fundamental principles that you want to teach but you want all the kids to know that they can do it and you can see those words in the book.”

And Gutteridge said that there is more than just the basic lessons that he hopes players get out of reading the final product.

“Of course the fundamentals ... that is the first thing,” Gutteridge said. “Then there is the enjoyment of baseball and the thought that ‘I can do that,’ and ‘that is simple’ and also to learn how to practice and do the right thing.”

Gutteridge, who turns 97 in June, said that he enjoyed contributing to the book.

“Oh yes, yes, yes,” Gutteridge said. “I just let him (Biggs) talk and he did all of the work. It was pretty easy and all I had to say was ‘yes Todd’ or ‘no Todd.’”

Biggs said that he expects the book to be finished in the next few weeks and available in book stores sometime after printing.

Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext. 140.